Jun 30, 2014

Enough with this shallow discussion between devout secular and devout religious. The need to respect the Shabbos is not a favor we are doing for Mea Shearim or Bnei Braq.

-- Justice Minister Tzippi Livni

Livni said this when referring to Gideon Saar's decision to not allow most Tel Aviv markets to open on Shabbos. Livni also said that she is going to strongly promote Silvan Shalom's solution turning Sundays into a weekend. Livni said she supports turning Sunday into a long weekend, so that Sunday will be the day people have available for tiyulim, for shopping, for restaurants, entertainment, etc. Doing so, Livni said, will protect with the symbolism of Shabbos and will protect the special nature of Shabbos and the holidays, which also have social values. It will allow a date a day of rest on which everything is open
source: NRG and Ladaat

fabulous! and I thought Shalom's proposal was basically dead in the water for a long time already!

As reported in the JPost, the Attorney General, Yehudah Weinstein, has initiated a crackdown on forced gender segregation.

The three main issues it is tackling are:
1. the impact of increasing numbers of Haredim in the IDF, and how that affects women
2. forced gender segregation on the bus
3. chevra kadishas, in the sense of women speaking, or not speaking, at funerals.

From JPost:

In another example, the committee was informed that burial societies often prohibit women from giving eulogies at burials out of religious concerns for modesty. The Justice Ministry confronted the Chevra Kadisha, and ordered an end to the discrimination on eulogies.Initially, the ministry received reports that all of the Chevra Kadisha chapters were in compliance – except for two chapters, with whom there are ongoing negotiations.But after receiving additional complaints, the ministry reopened the issue with the Chevra Kadisha to make it clear that partial compliance was not acceptable.In another example, the city of Netivot was due to hold a Remembrance Day ceremony in which women would be prohibited from singing. The ministry ordered that women be allowed to sing, requiring that the ceremony organizers change their policy.The city of Ashdod was due to hold a Mimouna ceremony with separate areas for men and women. The ministry contacted Ashdod, and made it clear to the ceremony organizer that forced separation was prohibited.Despite repeated guarantees by the Transportation Ministry that it would take steps to end forced gender segregation on buses, the Justice Ministry found that those steps did not lead to sufficient change.The Justice Ministry said it is on the verge of ordering all buses in areas with complaints of discrimination to have their back doors sealed, so that men and women will have to enter through the same door. This will make it harder to force women systematically to sit in the back of a bus.Besides these examples, the committee plans to continue work on segregation against women on many fronts, ranging from walking in certain separate areas in health centers, from being harassed if someone argues that they are “immodestly” clad, to demands for separate education in higher learning centers and bans on women on public radio stations.

I am against forced gender segregation outside of tefilla and shuls, and some other public religious services, where it is halachically necessary.

The idea sin the article quoted above regarding Weinsteins approach do bother me though:
1. They are going to order the back door of the buses sealed? Sounds dangerous to me. Should the bus have trouble (God forbid), like catch fire on the way up the hills to Jerusalem, as is not uncommon, or terrorism, this could become a death trap, for whomever is sitting in the back.
Must we really go so far, as to seal people in, to solve this?

2. there must be some sort of guidelines to having a separate-gender event. Can men not get together for an event without women? Women cannot have a womens-only event? Is Weinstein saying that men and women MUST sit mixed at all events? While I think it is wrong and demeaning to send a woman to the back of the bus, I would also not say every community event must be mixed-gender.

There must be some sort of guidelines, or else we are soon going to end up with the government insisting that shuls cannot have separate seating, as it is gender discrimination. And definitely not when the women's section is in the back of the shul (rather than a side-by-side arrangement).

3. The Attorney General is approaching this solely from a religious perspective. When religion, or religious people, gender discriminate, he looks into it and gets involved.
Why does he not also get involved when the discrimination has nothing to do with religion? Surely there must be room for his involvement to improve the situation there as well. There are plenty of ways in which women are still discriminated against in general society.
Not to take away from the abuse in the name of religion, but the problem is not limited to religious settings alone. If Weinstein considers the problem to be such a serious one, he shouldn't limit himself to the religious part of it.

A fellow claims he tried to open a bank account for the funding of the construction of the Third Beit Hamikdash. He claims that God appeared to him in a dream and told him to build the Temple. When he tried to open a bank account to process donation for this project, the banks refused to open the account. Five different banks, they all refused. He went to the District Court in Beer Sheva, claiming he was refused for no good reason, and they too told him to jump in a lake. This fellow has now also appealed to the Supreme Court, only to be rejected by them as well.

His rejection by the courts was actually for peripheral reasons. he had not supplied the right, or enough, documentation proving his financial situation or how his finances were affected by the rejection.
source: NRG Law

Sounds interesting. I'd like to know on what basis the banks refused to open the account. Even if they thought he is a crackpot, why would they not want his money?

We pretty much have a rule that nowadays anybody who says God spoke to him is pretty much a crackpot. I wonder if or how we will ever believe the Mashiach or Elijah or any other modern-day prophet when that should come to be...

Everything seems to be a matter of perspective. Is the cup half full or half empty.

Yesterday Minister of Interior thwarted the plans of the Municipality of Tel Aviv. After being shot down by the Supreme Court, Tel Aviv decided to create a new municipal law allowing certain types of stores to stay open and do business on Shabbos.

Despite the new law in Tel Aviv, the buck does not end there. The Minister of Interior, Gideon Saar, has "veto power" - Saar can overrule and overturn any municipal law.

In this instance, Saar decided to overturn part of the decision of Tel Aviv City Hall. While Saar approved the opening of some stores in the area of the Port of Tel Aviv and Port Jaffa and some other places, he overturned the section of the law regarding the opening of kiosks and markets around town.

What is interesting is how one website describes the decision as Shabbos is victorious, Saar decides markets won't open on shabbos in Tel Aviv... While another website portrays it just the opposite. While Gideon Saar has reportedly come coloser to religion, both keeping Shabbos and studying with rabbis, Kikar reports on Saar's decision as cynically pointing to Saar's personal adherence to Shabbos and saying he is closer to religion? Saar approves Shabbos desecration in port Tel Aviv.

davening at the Kotel yesterday, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, I noticed that the Women of the Wall group were davening within the womens section, rather than in the plaza or in the new Azarat Yisrael. I also noticed, while I was there at least, which was only near the end of the WoW tefilla, there were no fights, nobody screaming at them or anything like that.

They seemed to be conducting their tefilla peacefully and undisturbed. I don't know if that is because their opposition has given up the fighting, if it was because they davened in the ezrat nashim this time, or if for some other reason, but I didnt see any of the fighting that was going on until recently.

Sure enough, I now see on INN that they conducted their tefilla in the womens section (it says 250 women were there!) as a show of solidarity and unity for the 3 abducted boys.

I was relatively impressed with how large a group they have davening with them. I was under the impression they have 15 or 20 people and then some more who came out to support them during the fights. On this relatively quiet morning, they must have had a group of 60 or 70 women (my estimate).

Funny comment - My 8 year old son came over to me, after he peeked at them through the mechitza, and said to me that it is so strange, a savta (grandmother) is wearing tefillin!

1. look - its not just Bet Shemesh!
2. the way they say Kiryas Yoel makes it sound like Curious George's first cousin
3. This is all lashon ho'ra! I cannot believe they would hang a sign for women in red - it is so not-tzanua!

Here is a recap of the city council meeting from one resident, Naava Pasternak Swirsky, who was there. It is written as notes from during the meeting (printed here with permission):

Iriya meeting - Gave up after an hour and a half. Here are a few highlights:Eve Finkelstein tried to get into the meeting but was told that the public isn't allowed in. The public gets to watch the meeting on closed circuit tv. She gave out a flyer to people going in showing the campaign promises from Gimmel saying that when they are in the government people won't have to show paperwork to get their discounts on Arnona.The feed cuts in and out. A lot of times the picture would freeze or disappear all together. It was difficult to hear what people were saying at times.Someone complained about the public representative on the Vaad Hachinuch's horrible joke about the kidnappings that he posted on Facebook. The Mayor said he didn't know anything about it. Someone else screamed out that they had e-mailed the mayor about it.A new protocol about who gets hanachot was handed out at the beginning of the meeting. The opposition said it was illegal - it had to be given out at least a week before. Someone suggested that it be sent out by e-mail. One of the chareidi reps disagreed saying he doesn't have e-mail.A raise in Arnona above what the government has set has to be approved by the Saar Hapniim.They cannot retroactively raise the 2014 Arnona but they do want to raise the Arnona for 2015. In 2016 they want to make a special Arnona tax on anyone who has a "dirah" which is 160 meters or larger. This is expected to be on average an extra 1000 shekel once or even twice a year.Richard Peres:I don't know how you can do this in good conscience raise the Arnona on the vatikim and Gush Hatziyoni. You are reaching your hands into the vatikiims pockets.Moshe Shitreet:Why would you do something that will make the strong populations of Beit Shemesh leave the city? You are asking them to pay more and get less. Less money for the Tnuot Noar. Less money for sports.Chaim Ben Margi:I don't understand. There is no long term view in the new Arnona. There is no planning for the future. No thought have been given to the needs of new neighborhoods. It's just a cut and paste job of the previous budget.And then the Mayor left the room as well as Baalayish. I don't know how a meeting continues without the mayor or the sgan -- that's when I had enough.

Shopping Mekomi, a local newspaper, has since reported that Mk Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid) said that he was angered to hear the plan fo the mayor to raise arnona for just some people in the city, especially after giving out millions in discounts. He says he spoke with people in the Ministry of Interior and is committed to dealing with this at the level of the Knesset and at the level of the government, despite the city council approving the increase.

As well, and I do not know if this is related or not, Shopping Mekomi also reported that Yesh Atid activists have said that Minister Yair Lapid is seriously considering the issue of dividing Bet Shemesh. When asked, Lipman explained that he has discussed the issue with Lapid, and Lapid is considering it, but no decision has yet been made.

I must say, if the city council is going to do things like this which almost look like highway robbery, I think it is going to make the case for dividing Bet Shemesh much stronger. And I think the forces behind th movement will have a much easier time persuading Ministers int he government to support the idea when they have things like this to show them.

The Haredim have been complaining that they have been excluded from the program of the Ministry of Education for summer day camps through the school system. Effectively it means the parents of kids in Haredi schools need to continue funding privately their kids day camps, while the MoE funds the day camps of kids in public schools.

On the opposite side of the coin, secular residents in Jerusalem are complaining (source: NRG) that they have to pay a lot of money for summer camps through the schools, while the Haredim only have to pay about a third of the price.

So, which is it - are Haredim being left out and paying more, or are the secular being made to pay more?

Maybe it is just everybody liking to complain and thinking the grass is greener on the other side?

hmmm.. it seems that Rav Avoadia Yosef, and Rav Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, and MK Moshe Gafni, have in the past been in favor of stopping the double chief rabbi situation and moving to one chief rabbi, for basically the same reasons as those who are today promoting it. And I notice Rav Ovadia is not quoted as saying as long as the one chief rabbi is sefardi so we can keep the rishon letzion position...
source: Kikar

And, from reading the biography of Rav Ovadia, I have discovered that he was appointed Rishon Letzion 14 years prior to becoming Chief Rabbi.

I haven't posted any pashkevils in a long time.. here is a good one...

if you are looking for a solution for a haredi boy who wants to mix learning with army service and planning for his future, it is not easy to find what programs are available... thankfully the people who are opposed to such programs themselves have compiled and posted the entire list so you don't have to look far..

I dont know if they are really looking to hurt these places or if they are looking to indirectly direct people to them..

This picture depicts the overflow from the shul of the Knesset into the hallway. As you can see, MK Gafni couldn't make it into the shul either..

The Knesset has a small shul. As I heard on the radio, the increase in number of religious MKs and parliamentary assistants and other people who work in the building, have caused the shul to be small and inadequate. They used to get about 15 regular daveners, and now an average tefilla brings in 30-35 people, with sometimes many more. And on a special event, such as the tefilla last week for the abducted boys, it was extremely inadequate.

To that end, MK Gafni (UTJ) has requested from the Speaker of the House Yuli Edelstein that give orders to expand the Knesset Beit Knesset. Gafni says that on a normal day there are people davening in the hallway outside the shul because it is too full.
source: Bechadrei

I like it. I am happy to see so many more religious people participating, in whatever way, in goverance, in the Knesset. I hope it continues to grow. I guess it is a good thing we don't have a separation of shul and State here in Israel...

it was probably just an oversight, but labeling discrepancies are sometimes of the funniest and most interesting problems out there. I am all for awareness, so pay attention to your labels.

This label appeared on some sort of baked good item:

if you dont see what I am referring to, notice that the Rabbanut declares the item to be pareve, while the writing under the address declares that the Badatz certifies it as dairy. which is it? who is to know...

update June 27, 2012:
it seems the issue has been resolved. the label was a mistake. the item is dairy..

The Knesset passed the initial draft reading of a new law proposal that would make it illegal to see food past its date of expiry. Violation of this would be punishable by up to a year in prison. The law was proposed by MKs Yariv Levin (Likud Beyteynu) and Amnon Cohen (Shas)

The proposal explains that selling expired food is dangerous to the public. Responsibility for selling expired food must be placed on the authorities selling and marketing these foods, so that they will stop.

The initial vote passed by a count of 41-0, and will now be prepared for adjustments and further voting.
sources: INN and Kikar

this will hurt some of those low end stores meant to help the needy. some of what they sell so cheap in low socio-economic neighborhoods is products that have passed the expiry date, or are about to expire. But this is good, and it is a bit surprising it is not already the law. Sometimes expired food does not present a problem, but sometimes it can make people sick.

According to this article in Kikar, a group of residents of RBS C (a.k.a. "Gimmel") have gotten together and are opening a front to battle with the mayor of Bet Shemesh, Moshe Abutbol and City Hall.

Their problem?

They have been living in RBS C for several months already, and there is no mikva in the neighborhood. They are required to make use of the mikvaot in other neighborhoods. A representative of the group says construction on a mikva has not yet even begun, and City Hall says it will be 2.5 years before there will be a mikva. There are already more than 200 families in the neighborhood, he says, and in the coming months another 700 are scheduled to move in. This representative also refers to a halacha that says it is a danger to live in a neighborhood with no mikva. The biggest problem, perhaps, is on Friday nights when women would have to walk over 50 minutes to the nearest mikva, and then back (though perhaps they can travel by car/taxi before Shabbos and just walk home), and at night the road is dark and dangerous.

The representative of the residents said that they expected more from a City Hall that has a Haredi mayor, that spiritual issues would be resolved right away. The City Hall is haredi, with Haredi rule, and they are populating a neighborhood with Haredi residents, so a mikva should have been built before the residents were moved in. Perhaps it is understandable that in the first few months there is no mikva, but the neighborhood has been under construction for three years, and a mikva should have been built and better advance planning should have been employed.

Even if the city made a mistake, he says, that is fine, but fix it now. Why do we have to wait another 2.5 years for the mikva to be built?

--

To be fair, all these residents bought and moved in knowing that no mikva was being built. It does take time to get everything up and running in a new neighborhood, and they should have been aware of that. When they bought, did they ask when the shul would be built? when the mikva would be built? when the schools would be built? Obviously the Iryah is not providing the necessary services, but the residents have no reason to act so surprised about this. Everyone was so worried about getting them in quickly, before infrastructure would be ready, and everybody knew it. And what immediate solution does he expect? Can a mikva now be built overnight? Where would the rainwater even come from?

2.5 years before a mikva will be built? Really? The mayor has been in such a rush to populate the mountains around Bet Shemesh, but would it really have been so hard to build the mikva, a shul and a school at the same time as building the rest of the neighborhood? This is extremely negligent, though not unexpected.

And the Iryah not providing services, even religious services, it is supposed to, not planning properly, no vision, is nothing new.

So basically, nothing here is new or unexpected, not the lack of vision or provision of the Iryah, not the complaints of the residents, and not the support for someone who clearly was not going to provide these services.

As the saying goes, we get the politicians we deserve.

If any residents of RBS C read this blog, please write in, in the comments or to me directly, with more information about this issue, and if there is any way for other people from around the city to help..

it is amazing how the situation has so unified the nation, and how much the nation loves and has embraced the IDF soldiers, almost completely.. here is one video that shows it, coming out of Efrat... set to the song of Udi Davidi, Panas Echad BaRechov..

and to that note I will add the content of an email sent to the BS list last night..

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Beit Shemesh community on behalf of the Pina Chama in Gush Etzion.
Several volunteers from the community, both today and last week, have delivered huge amounts of baked goods, drinks, dried fruits and toiletries to the Pina Chama. Volunteers assisted from Melabev, youth groups, and from the overall community.
You can not imagine how helpful this has been, and how much they appreciate all these wonderful packages!
Just today, one of the volunteers at the Pina Chama said “We can always count on Beit Shemesh”.
The Pina Chama not only sets up the baked goods for chayalim on hafsaka, but they also prepare and put together huge packages of your treats and send them off to different army bases in Chevron and the Gush Etzion areas.
We should be so proud to be living in such an amazing, chesed-oriented community!
Thank you again and a huge Yasher Koach to this wonderful community.
May we only hear Besrot Tovot.

of course, instead of stopping the rioters and troublemakers, or preventing them from going upo in advance, considering the IDF operation (many of these were from Hamas), the police preferred to take the Jews off the Mount...

Jun 25, 2014

MKs from Yesh Atid, Yifat Kariv and Boaz Toporovski, have submitted a law proposal to lower the eligible age for voting for Knesset elections to 17.

Supposedly, according to a couple articles I read, they expect this law to bring them in some young voters after polls indicate waning interest among the general public in Yesh Atid, but that seems to be an assumption. This is being assumed because a number of parties, including Yesh Atid, have mentioned that they expect new elections in the near future...

In their explanation to the proposal they explain that 17 year-olds in Israel are mature and responsible - they can drive, they can go through testing for units in the IDF and more. Their involvement in society and politics is unavoidable. Young people today are fully aware of information about society and the State, sometimes even much more so than those older. They should also be able to choose their representation.

If these teens are so responsible at 17, why did the Knesset recently say they are not responsible enough to get married? If they can drive and read the news they should also be able to get married, by this logic! I am not against 17 year-olds voting, but why pick that age? Why not 16? why not leave it at 18?

By now you have surely seen the video of MK Hanin Zoabi getting kicked out of a restaurant, and getting into a screaming match with the restaurant owner.....

in case you haven't, here it is:

Besides for this, there have been some other similar reports over the past few days of people getting into screaming matches with Zoabi when she appeared in various places, such as the supermarket and others....

Good for them. Let the people have their say. Maybe the Supreme Court did not let her get kicked out fo the Knesset despite her radical views, but that cannot stop the people from voing their opinion and lettign her know they won't accept her vulgar behavior.

The letter of Rav Shalom Cohen banning women from academic institutions, even Haredi ones, has taken up much of the airwaves over the past couple of days. People are upset, people are supportive, stories are coming out how bad education is and how it caused people to stumble and has destroyed families, people are questioning, how could it be, Rav Ovadia's daughter, etc.

(as an aside, the most interesting story I heard, from a rabbi on the radio, was the one where a young women went to one of these academies and then got a job. At the job she became exposed to the internet, and then things changed with her spirituality - he didnt say what specifically,but it negatively affected the home and children - I found that story funny as it did not really have to do at all with the academy. In her workplace she used the Internet and that was the problem he described, but he blames the academy for her downfall.)

One comment in particular stood out for me. MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) criticized Rav Cohen as becoming irrelevant and disconnected form the people. Lavie said he is trying to take the community many years backwards , and he is going directly against the moreshet, the legacy, of Rav Ovadia Yosef whose daughter founded the Michala Hacharedit, with the blessing of her father..

Without getting into debating Rav Cohen's words (I think most readers here know what I feel on this topic), I think MK Lavie is off-base. Rav Cohen is not obligated by Rav Ovadia's legacy. I dont even know if that can be called his legacy - just because it was one thing he did and supported, does that become his legacy? Who decides what someone's legacy is?

But even if it is the legacy of Rav Ovadia, why should Rav Cohen be obligated by it? Rav Cohen is a big boy and, to paraphrase Robin Ventura, he took a position, as head of the Moetzet of Shas, in which he had to put his big boy pants on. He can do what he feels is right, regardless of what Rav Ovadia thought. Rav Cohen is in charge now, he is the go-to rav, he makes the decisions. He does not have to follow someone else, but can do what he himself feels is right.

Statesmen are not obligated by Rabin's legacy, whatever it might be, or Ben Gurion's legacy or Menachem Begin's legacy, and rabbis are not obligated by Rav Ovadia's legacy, or Rav Shach's legacy, or the Brisker Rav's legacy.

Another long-discussed, and perhaps controversial, law proposal has advanced this week...

The Knesset voted for the first reading on the law proposal to stop electing two Chief Rabbis - one Sefardi and one Ashkenazi, and move to only one. The new law also includes changes to the structure of the batei din - instead of one of the Chief Rabbis acting as head of the batei din, the head of the batei din will in the future be chosen from within the batei din - chosen by the President of the State of Israel. The Knesset voted in favor of the law (22-14). It now has to be prepared for its final readings.

The law proposal explains that the chief rabbi serves in public office with very broad tasks and issues he is involved in, and his time to dedicate to dealing with the batei din is limited - it is better to have someone dedicated to the batei din.

Main opposition was from the Haredi MKs.

MK Aryeh Deri (Shas) said this is a bill submitted by the same people who would do away entirely with the chief rabbinate, if they could, and it is just their way of taking revenge for losing the electiosn to the chief rabbinate.

MK Maklev (UTJ) said only people who dont understand what the role of a rabbi is have a problem with two chief rabbis.

MK Eichler (UTJ said that the Knesset should have no interest in the chief rabbinate. Does anybody care or check to see how many social workers, bituach leumi clerks, officers, and many others are employed but dont actually do anything? Eichler said he doesnt even think one chief rabbi is necessary, but the fact that the Knesset is dealing with it means their intention is to harm Judaism and religion.

MK Feiglin (Likud Beyteynu), the original sponsor of the bill, said that as sponsor of the bill his goal is definitely not to harm religion. When the Torah becomes two-headed, what can be greater than coming back to the united nation with one torah. The law is looking to go in that direction.
sources: NRG, JPost, Bechadrei, Kikar

besides for the opportunity for jobs - which might or might not be true - I don't understand why the Haredi MKs care so much about this, whether there is one chief rabbi or two. The Haredi community pretty much ignores the chief rabbinate and the rabbanut system anyway (though Sefardi Haredim do identify with it a bit more than the Ashkenazi Haredim do)! Why do they care so much that they consider this to be anti-religion and harmful, that they need to fight it and oppose it strongly? Many Haredim think the Rabbanut is a big waste and should be entirely disbanded. The Haredi MKs who dont give the Rabbanut the time of day are so worried about the honor fo the chief rabbinate?

Yesterday the Knesset made it final and passed the law in its final readings. The day of municipal elections is now officially a full vacation day, just like it is on national elections day!

While MK Maklev (UTJ) opposed the bill claiming the cost to the economy will be too great, while at the same time claiming this law wont help and voter turnout will continue to shrink as people will use the day to run errands and entertain themselves instead of voting... Minister of Interior Gideon Saar responded that while this law alone won't turn things around and solve the problem, this law still puts the municipal elections in its proper place of importance, and people should be given the best conditions possible to encourage them to go vote.

The Knesset yesterday passed, and furthered, some interesting law proposals that have been in the works.

One of the laws passed its final votes is the law proposed by MKs Yifat Kariv and Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) Dov Chenin (Chadash) and Hanin Zoabi (Balad) by which municipal parties running campaigns will receive funding at a level commensurate with the number of women included in the party list. A party with at least one third of the list made up of women will receive a bonus of an additional 15% funding.

Its not just women on the party list, but women in realistic slots - actually, women who actually sit on city council. The funding would only be granted about 8 months after the elections, when the Comptroller submits his report. At that time, the funding will be given based on how many women are serving in office.

The main opposition to this bill was from the MKs of Haredi parties. MK Gafni (UTJ) said that until today women included in party lists were there due to their abilities and talents, but now they will be on the lists just because they are women and the party head wants to qualify for funding. Gafni also pointed to their hypocrisy by not voting for the female candidate for President in the recent presidential elections. As well, Yesh Atid has only one female minister in government.

MK Uri Maklev (UTJ) voiced his opposition by saying that why only women - why not give funding for including new immigrants, young adults, and others who are less-represented? The only purpose of the law is to hurt the Haredi parties.

MK Eichler (UTJ) pointed to the fact that Hanin Zoabi is one of the sponsors of the proposal, and calls the other MKs out for wanting to toss her for Knesset but still supporting her bill.

MK Yaakov Asher (UTJ) also called it hypocrisy. Asher said parties will decorate their lists with women just for the funding, and that is not increasing honor, but the opposite. And, Asher said, in Yesh Atid itself women have no say and everything is based on the word of one man.source: Ynet and Kikar

does this opposition also apply to the affirmative action the Haredim wanted for jobs in the public sector? Will offices hire haredim just to get the tax benefits? Is that adding more honor to Haredim?

If something must be done to mainstream a certain issue - hiring haredim, promoting women, promoting other minorities, it has a benefit even if the method is not 100% perfect.

lus, I am not sure why they think this is just to hurt haredim... Gafni himself has said in the past that there is no problem with having females on the party lists - but the women are not interested. I am sure he can find a few talented women interested, and they will do a fine job representing the Haredi community. There is no reason they have o say including women n the list will hurt the haredi parties. it just means they will have to shake things up a bit.

Rav Shalom Cohen, president of the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah of Shas, has authored a letter coming out strongly against women taking courses for academic degrees - not just in real universities, but even in Haredi campuses.

Rav Cohen says the problem is that the teachers n these schools have studied in universities and do not have a proper torah-based hashkafa. As well, much of the material is gleaned from research and scientific methodology that opposes the ways of the Torah.
source: Kikar

Besides for placing much of the burden of earning a parnassah on the women, and now limiting them and their ability to learn for a parnassah, be qualified, and be able to earn a decent wage, it makes me curious what Adina Bar Shalom has to say about this.

Adina Bar Shalom is the founder of the Michlala Haredit, and has been the driving force behind the movement in the past 10 years or so for haredi women, and even men, getting degrees. Bar Shalom is also the daughter of Rav Ovadia Yosef and seemingly had his blessings for her activity.

Also, if the problem is the material is not torah-based, rather than an issue of tzniyus or the fallback issue of "kol kvoda bat melech pnima" - why is this a ban only for women from getting degrees and not also on men?

Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, have come to Israel to celebrate their sons bar mitzvah,

Interestingly enough, the son is not Jewish because his mother, Zeta-Jones, is not Jewish, though she considered converting at one point. As well Michael Douglas is not Jewish, because his mother is not jewish, though he considers himself Jewish, as his father is Jewish.

So, nobody on this trip is Jewish, but they are celebrating a bar mitzvah.

Heck - at least they are coming to Israel!

And Michael looks so old I am surprised he has a child bar mitzvah age....

Jun 23, 2014

The City of Jerusalem has invited sports enthusiasts from around the country to participate in an unforgettable experience tomorrow, Tuesday June 24th. They expect 2000 people to participate in the Zumba marathon on the bridge (by Mamilla) towards Jaffa Gate, with the stunning view of the Old City and other nearby neighborhoods.. (details here)

The Director of Sport for the City of Jerusalem said that Zumba is very popular and they decided to take it out from the lessons in closed rooms out to the open air of Jerusalem.
(there will also be a "spinning marathon on the following two days, Wednesday and Thursday)
source: INN

Needless to say, this is upsetting a lot of people.

Rabbonim of Jerusalem wrote a letter calling upon Haredi representatives to act against these plans and against Nir Barkat, the "poritz". The letter says the poritz is out of control and is forcing us and people who go to the kotel and those who are in Jerusalem to see these things. Protect us and our kids, and immediately act to cancel it.
source: Bechadrei

City Councilman Aryeh King is also opposed to this event and said that they can dance at Teddy, by the "beach", in the Jerusalem Forest.. there are enough place sin the city that are airy. They don't need to upset and harm the sensitivities of the Old City and those who visit it...

Representatives from the municipality of Jerusalem responded saying that this is an event that has taken place annually in this location and is very popular among the residents. The event takes place on the porch above the Mamilla mall, where many other cultural events take place already for many years.
source: Kooker.

With different levels of Zumba being offered simultaneously, perhaps they should also offer a section for Frumba (frum zumba) or Jumba (zumba with Jewish music). With the "beach" nearby, they can even offer swimba (my made-up word), though there is no water at the beach, as far as I know.

Personally I am loathe to the idea of assigning blame or otherworldly reasons while the operation to retrieve the boys is underway. There will be plenty of time later for blame.. for now it is just divisive and distracting.

However, the Jpost has an article in which they quote the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu (though VIN calls him the "chief cleric of Tzfat", whatever that is) in which he blames the Shalit family for the kidnapping because of their attitude of whining and playing on emotion and sentiment...

One of the major factors contributing to the erosion of Israeli society
was the atmosphere of ‘me as the individual’ and the loss of national
identity,” Eliyahu wrote.
“The Schalit family and the group that put in motion the campaign
around it [for the release of their son] enhanced this erosion,” he
wrote. “It adopted an attitude of whining and playing on sentiment.
They blamed everyone [and] perpetuated the culture of ‘I deserve it.’
It was as if the only important thing to consider is today, not what
happens tomorrow. As long as they get their son back, damn the
consequences, even if it means that innocent civilians will pay the
awful price. And the awful price has come. Three young boys were
kidnapped.”
Eliyahu drew a comparison between the Schalit family and its vocal
public relations campaign to pressure the government for their son’s
release after five years in captivity, and the reaction of the families
of the kidnapped youngsters who went missing 11 days ago.
“Today, a new spirit is blowing,” the rabbi wrote admiringly of the
families of Naftali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrah. “It is a
spirit of might and heroism, a spirit of responsibility, a spirit of
unity.
It’s a more responsible, healthier, more moral spirit. This spirit is
alive and well in the army and the government, the Knesset and the
entire public.
It’s a spirit of remedying the defects of the past.”
“This spirit is being fostered by the families of the young people,” the rabbi added.
“With quiet conduct, they have managed to tug on the heartstrings of the Israeli society and to rehabilitate it.
There are no accusations of guilt, no whining, no public pressure, no bitterness. What they do have is belief.”

I think it is crass to blame the Shalit family for this. They just wanted their kid back, and did whatever they could to get him back. It was the government that made a deal, and agreed to certain conditions, such as the ratio for the prisoner swap - not the Shalit family.

Even if their methods were not to my liking or your liking, they do not bear the blame for the recent kidnapping. Blaming them now is just cruel.

An interesting law proposal was submitted yesterday, by MKs from UTJ - Uri Maklev, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher.

The proposal would require the security forces to accept messages using other methods in addition to the telephone, such as text messages (SMS) and email.

The proposal comes in light of the supposed failure of the police hotline (100), by which one of the kidnapped boys supposedly called to report being kidnapped but couldn't talk or give details, and the police ignored the call for many hours.

There are situations where a person in danger cannot talk - such as a kidnapping, or someone hiding from an intruder, or even people with disabilities that cannot use the telephone such as deaf people. Allowing them to contact the security forces by SMS or other methods, will allow such people in danger and need to be in contact with security and emergency forces and actually give details they might not be able to verbally.
sources: Ynet and Ladaat

Ironically enough, the public these MKs represent will, for the most part, not even benefit from this law. The haredi public generally does not have smartphones, does not have SMS or email, and will not be able to send such emergency messages, though there are plenty who do and will also benefit from it.

Kol hakavod to these MKs for proposing a law that largely benefits the general public and not specifically their own sector.

In addition to the SOS app for smartphones developed in coordination with Hatzalah, another app has hit the market to save your life while hitchhiking in Israel.

The new app, already available for Android with an iPhone version coming soon, is called "Aliti Al Tremp" - עליתי על טרמפ - I got a ride.

Basically, when you are hitchhiking and get into a car, you activate the app. It marks your location and tracks you along the way every minute, until you get out of the car and disable it. If, God forbid, you should be abducted, or some emergency happens, you just click the button that says to send an emergency message. When you do that, the app will send messages to the people you out in as emergency contacts.

I know we all want to be cautious, but I am worried about paranoia developing. With all these apps, so far two in just a few days with probably more coming, dealing with emergencies, it might make people think it is dangerous to go out. But you can never be too safe. Especially when hitchhiking.

1.
In the wake of the recent kidnapping in Gush Etzion, a discussion has arisen about the need for hitchhiking due to the lack of adequate public transportation in certain areas. One of the decisions was to strengthen the public transportation system to towns in Judea and Samaria.

The Ministry of Transportation, in its first announcement to that effect, has announced that a new bus line will soon begin operation, from Bet Shemesh to Gush Etzion, and from Gush Etzion to Bet Shemesh. The bus line will be #409. The bus route will include Neve Daniel, Elazar, Efrat, Gush Junction, Alon Shvut, Emek HaEla and the train station in Bet Shemesh.

The line will be From BS to GE, and in reverse, and will operate twice a day in each direction, coordinated with the train schedule.
From GE to BS: 06:00, 07:00
From BS to GE: 18:00, 20:00
source: Haredim10 and Iryat Bet Shemesh FB page

2.
It was reported in local papers that the request to divide the city of Bet Shemesh has moved a step forward. As city council members have said they would be doing in the near future, they have officially submitted a request of the Knesset Interior Committee to investigate the matter - the possibility, the need, the viability - of dividing the city into two separate cities.

Interestingly, not all opposition members have signed on the petition to the Interior Committee. Chaim Ben Marghi and Elyasaf Whorman (both from Habayit Hayehudi) have not signed.

Will that affect the petition and the way the committee relates to it?

3.
The agenda for this coming Thursday's city council meeting is set to approving a hike in arnona for the year 2014.
The mayor has requested a 5% increase above the increase that was already approved. Somehow this translates, as was reported, into arnona increases ranging from 400nis-1000nis per year per household.

Personally, besides for being against such drastic increases in arnona, I don't think it is right to set retroactive increases. People have budgeted for the year and suddenly their arnna bill be much higher. If it must be passed, pass the increase for the coming year, not the previous year.

A two-part Palestinian Arab Youtube video reenacts the recent abduction of three Jewish teens in a way that apparently reflects mostly the imagination of its makers.The first video shows the three teenagers – portrayed by Arab actors – waiting for a ride while the team of kidnappers prepares to go into action. Two of the abductors are supposedly dressed as a hareidi father and son, with hats on their heads and long sidelocks.The “father and son” pretend to fight over the father's anger at the boy for failing to pray. The “son” falls to the ground and the “father” calls the three teenagers to help him. They offer to put the “boy” in the car, in order to evacuate him to get medical assistance.As they start carrying the “boy,” a third member of the cell, armed with an assault rifle, emerges and abducts one of the teenagers. The other two terrorists spray an anesthetic in the faces of the two other teenagers and place them in the car's trunk.The second video shows the three “abductees” bound and blindfolded, with the abductors stading behind them, armed. They claim responsibility for the abduction in the name of the Abu Saker al-Halili Brigades and vow to treat them according to the rules of Islam.

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About Me

I am a regular Joe with a Yeshiva background. I learned in Telshe Yeshiva, Heichal HaTorah (R' Tzvi Kushelevsky), and a now defunct Halacha Kollel. I have semicha from R' Zalman Nechemia Goldberg and kaballa in Shechita from Dayan Schwartz of Kehillas HaYeraim (Chomas HaKashrus). I have a college degree in Finance from Touro College and am also a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
My wife and I, with our 8 children, ben porat yosef (knayna hara), live in Eretz Yisrael.